A shiny new civic center at the heart of downtown. That’s the proposal floating around Long Beach City Hall. And it’s one that has angered some around town who call the effort a hastily advanced boondoggle.

Yes, it will cost hundreds of millions of dollars; yes, there are alternatives, and yes, the city seems to be moving forward really fast. But that doesn’t mean it’s all bad.

While one could argue about whether the brutalist structure of the current City Hall is aesthetically pleasing, there’s no question that the building needs to be retrofitted or rebuilt. Something must be done.

If nothing is done, and a major quake hits, the city could be on the hook for any injuries or deaths inside the building. It’s estimated bringing it up to code would run upward of $194 million, an amount the city would likely get through a public bond. That’s on top of the $12.6 million paid out annually for the building’s upkeep, about $2 million of it debt service.

City planners said there simply isn’t the money to pay for it without forcing taxpayers to fork out more.

Their alternative: Demolish the building and allow private developers to build a brand new one.

The city would promise developers they could build whatever they want on the nearly 16 acres downtown as long as they also build a city hall and library that would be a destination point and could be leased to the city for a 40-year period. A new Port of Long Beach headquarters is also being considered.

That opens up some land to build a high-rise hotel, upscale apartments or any other high-revenue venture a developer dreams up.

It’s a classic public-private partnership model, but not one that has been tested much in California on city halls.

Long Beach officials say that if they find somebody who can do it, the incoming City Council could be picking out a designer as soon as July.

That fast track got some folks upset.

There were no serious public discussions about how an alternate retrofitting plan for the nearly 40-year-old City Hall might work. Public input on the standing proposals have been limited. And it looks like a giveaway to high-end construction firms, banks and designers. The city planners have failed to convince some that this was the smart alternative.

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But it appears the majority of the Long Beach City Council is already in agreement. Last year, the council awarded three firms a contract to put together proposals including the financing for a new civic center. The city’s top planners have given them an annual budget of $12.6 million, exactly what it is costing to run the civic center now. If they can make it happen, it might be a sweet deal for all. But there are still a lot of ifs because no proposals are on the table — and the public needs more input.

City officials said they are just testing the market. But given the liability issues and their reluctance to finance a retrofit, it does look like a foregone conclusion a new city hall will be built.

There might be reason to bristle at the speed this has happened, but waiting could be as problematic. As planners note, interest rates are low and the country’s unforgiving market doesn’t wait for slow pokes.